Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania (2005) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 213-254
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From page 213... ...
213 6 Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions Water quality problems and issues in southwestern Pennsylvania are both local and regional as evidenced by a variety of reports included in Appendix B, water quality assessments by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) , and testimony received by the committee.
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From page 214... ...
214 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania Finding the right mix of existing and new organizations that best fulfill the necessary conditions for planning, implementation, and oversight of CWARP will be a difficult and timeconsuming process. Several options that the region should consider are discussed in this chapter.
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From page 215... ...
Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 215 BOX 6-1 Water Quality Planning and Management Functions x Organization of public forums to discuss and initiate appropriate activities x Collection of basic data on water quality, sources of pollution, land use, and other relevant data x Technical and financial assistance x Planning for water quality improvements and related land use and transportation x Construction of facilities x Operation and maintenance of facilities and delivery of services x Taking of land for public facilities x Financing authority, including authority to incur debt and establish and implement user charges or taxes to recover costs of service x Establishment of water quality related regulatory standards for private and public development activities and post-construction operation and maintenance x Allocation of assimilative capacity to new and expanding regional activities enforcement of regulations require substantially greater authority. General-purpose local governments, including municipalities and counties, usually have the broadest array of powers delegated to them by state legislatures.
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216 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania must be weighed against the anticipated economy-of-scale benefits that new organization(s) may offer.
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Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 217 FIGURE 6-1 Approximate area of the urban core of southwestern Pennsylvania.
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218 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania TABLE 6-2 Special Districts Providing Water and Sewer Service in Southwestern Pennsylvania Type of Service Type of Boundary County Sewer Water Supply and Sewer County Borough, City, or Township Within Countya CrossCounty Allegheny 27 5 2 7 12 3 Armstrong 6 4 1 2 4 1 Beaver 21 7 1 4 7 0 Butler 6 4 0 0 4 4 Fayette 15 2 1 4 5 1 Greene 5 3 1 3 2 0 Indiana 4 3 3 2 2 2 Washington 21 2 1 10 6 1 Westmoreland 24 2 0 5 7 4 Total 122 32 10 37 49 16 a Within county but not limited to borough, city, or township. SOURCE: United States Census of Governments, 1997, http://www.census.gov/prod/gc97/gc- 971-1.pdf.
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Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 219 Infrastructure Project (WSIP)
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220 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania River basin in southwestern Pennsylvania. Each watershed was initially assigned to one of four categories (see Table 6-3)
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Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 221 FIGURE 6-2 State-delineated watersheds in southwestern Pennsylvania. NOTE: Shows two counties (Clarion and Jefferson)
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222 TA B LE 6 -4 S el ec t R es to ra tio n A ct iv iti es o f t he P A D E P B ur ea u of W at er sh ed M an ag em en t's W at er sh ed R es to ra tio n A ct io n S tra te gy S ub ba si n P ro bl em Fu nd in g S ou rc e N um be r o f P ro je ct s P ro je ct E xp en di tu re s (d ol la rs )
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From page 223... ...
Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 223 designated, "critical water planning areas," and identified on a multimunicipal watershed basis. Areas in which demand is expected to exceed supplies would be so designated, and more detailed critical area resource plans, or "water budgets," would be established.
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224 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania arrangements range from consolidation of city and county governments to intergovernmental contracts. In the middle of this range are special purpose service districts.
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Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 225 At the larger, multicounty scale, the Kentuckyiana Regional Planning and Development Agency (KIPDA) is the MPO for the Louisville area, with jurisdiction over seven counties in Kentucky and two in Indiana.
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226 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania Special Districts Several metropolitan areas have addressed intergovernmental management through the formation of special districts.
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Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 227 TABLE 6-5 Selected Special-Purpose Districts in Metropolitan Areas Organization Service Area Services Provided Founded Supervisory Body East Bay Municipal Utility District Parts of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, CA WS,S,CSO 1921 7-member elected board Louisville and Jefferson County Sewer District Louisville, Jefferson County, and a small portion of Oldham County, KY S,CSO,SW 1946 8-member appointed board Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District St.
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From page 228... ...
228 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania The capacity of a special district to integrate the multiple elements of water resource management is also important. As evidenced in part by Table 6-5, most large special sewer districts like ALCOSAN serve a central city and many outlying communities in a single county.
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From page 229... ...
Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 229 Although comments by selected leaders of the Pittsburgh region who have been consulted by the committee do not constitute a scientifically representative poll of interests in the region, they reveal several important clues about the direction that should be taken to address the organization of water resource and water quality planning and management in the region. First, there does not now appear to be a consensus on what that direction ought to be.
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230 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania planning and management. Pennsylvania is like 20 other states cited by the NRC Committee on Watershed Management (NRC, 1999)
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From page 231... ...
Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 231 nongovernmental organizations, academia, and other entities is necessary if a metropolitan planning organization is to better capture the benefits of the region's leadership. Second, the commission is not proportionally representative of its 10-county population.
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From page 232... ...
232 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania of stormwater management. Actions taken to manage stormwater flows in one location may have significant effects over a much larger portion of the network; elimination of some CSOs and SSOs will have spillover effects on separate stormwater conveyances.
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From page 233... ...
Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 233 BOX 6-2 Integrated Sanitary and Stormwater Sewer Management in Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown, West Virginia, located approximately 90 miles south of Pittsburgh, has a permanent population of 25,000 and an additional student population of 25,000 at West Virginia University. The municipality owns and operates the Morgantown Utility Board (MUB)
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From page 234... ...
234 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania meeting of the League of a Women Voters in February 2004 (Cohan, 2004) by Mayor Tom Murphy and county Chief Executive Dan Onorato who commented that the issue was definitely on their agendas.
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From page 235... ...
Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 235 The second component of Option B includes the 3RWW, and the committee recommends that it be continued or expanded. Its functions are and should include the following: x conduct a public education program and provide technical assistance to local governments for stormwater and CSO management; x provide an educational program to local governments for identifying and correcting illicit connections to sewer system; and x monitor, analyze, and report periodically on the status of stormwater and CSO management in Allegheny county.
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From page 236... ...
236 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania systems to ALCOSAN or retain ownership. If municipalities chose to retain ownership, ALCOSAN would be charged with the following tasks: x establishment and enforcement of performance standards for municipal stormwater discharges throughout the county; x construction, operation, and maintenance of the decentralized stormwater treatment facility required to satisfy a long-term control plan; x establishment of a rate structure for assessment of management fees; x construction, operation, and maintenance of drainage systems for member communities; and x continued contribution to the operation of 3RWW.
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From page 237... ...
Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 237 BOX 6-3 Organization Options for Urban Core and Outlying Urban Centers Option A: General-purpose metropolitan government Advantages: x Integration of fragmented infrastructure x Integration of water management with other local government functions, particularly those related to land use and development processes x Economies of scale x Ability to exercise broad range of municipal powers x Politically accountable elected officials Disadvantages: x Loss of local identity and autonomy x Management in contiguous urban areas outside Allegheny County unresolved Option B: Countywide sewage collection organization using authority under Pennsylvania Acts 67 and 68 Advantages: x Integration of fragmented infrastructure x Economies of scale Disadvantages: x Loss of local autonomy x Land use powers more limited than those of general-purpose government x Appointed boards less politically accountable to public x Management in contiguous urban areas outside Allegheny County unresolved Option C: Creation of one or more special districts to manage sewer collection with or without authority over stormwater management Advantages: x Integration of fragmented infrastructure x Economies of scale x Geographic coverage more flexible than county-wide system Disadvantages: x Loss of local autonomy x Powers more limited than those of general-purpose government x Appointed boards less politically accountable to public Option D: Expansion of the role of ALCOSAN to include sewer collection systems, with or without authority over stormwater management Advantages: x Integration of fragmented infrastructure x Economies of scale x Geographic coverage more flexible than county-wide system Disadvantages: x Any prior decisions, agreements, or disagreements by and with ALCOSAN that would inhibit its ability to achieve efficiency x Powers more limited than those of general-purpose government x Appointed boards less politically accountable to public Option E: Continuation of the decentralized system with performance standards Advantages: x Retention of limited local autonomy x Integration of water management with other local government functions, particularly those related to land use and development processes x Politically accountable public officials Disadvantages: x Less economically efficient x Less management expertise available to many units of local government x Less expertise and intelligence about system-wide infrastructure
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From page 238... ...
238 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania Rural Areas As stated previously, the primary rural area problems identified by the committee are inadequate on-site wastewater disposal and water supplies, and the actions recommended in Chapter 5 to address these deficiencies (e.g., register all individual and cluster OSTDSs within each county in southwestern Pennsylvania) should be undertaken cooperatively by several agencies.
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From page 239... ...
Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 239 An overlying water resource management "umbrella" is needed to incorporate as many areas of water management concern and stakeholders as possible. The "umbrella" would not be an operating agency that could assume all of these functions.
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From page 240... ...
240 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania The last option listed above for a regional water forum is recommended by the committee for careful consideration. This concept would involve an open-access network of public and private organizations interested in water issues that voluntarily agree to participate in meetings, discussions, research projects, and other activities relating to various water planning issues.
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Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 241 BOX 6-4 The Chicago Wilderness: A Model for a Three Rivers Regional Water Forum? The Chicago Wilderness (CW)
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From page 242... ...
242 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania ALCOSAN, and other responsible parties should establish both electronic and traditional communication links readily available to the public. The Internet and e-mail make it possible to provide a full range of data, action proposals, and other information to the public at modest cost.
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From page 243... ...
Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 243 FINANCING WATER QUALITY PROGRAMS Whereas major decisions that will ultimately determine the costs of water quality improvement in the region are yet to be made, enough is known to predict that the costs are likely to be substantial. For example, as discussed in Chapter 5, the estimated cost of the ALCOSAN draft long-term wet weather control plan (LTCP)
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From page 244... ...
244 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania $50 million to $100 million in debt (beyond the $250 million authorized in the spring referendum) for PENNVEST to use for the same purposes.
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Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 245 works generally do not provide incentives to limit wastewater flows that are unrelated to use (e.g., wet weather increases)
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From page 246... ...
246 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania TABLE 6-6 Revenue Potential and Bond Capacity of Pittsburgh Region New Revenue (million dollars per year) Increase in Monthly Water and Sewer Bill (dollars)
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Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 247 TABLE 6-7 Comparison of Residential Quarterly Water and Wastewater Bills for Pittsburgh and Cities in Nearby States City, State Population Year Bill for 3,000 cf Bill for 6,000 cf Pittsburgh, PA 334,563 2001 $157.35 $303.90 Fort Wayne, IN 185,716 2000 $99.60 $174.39 Indianapolis, IN 741,304 2000 $90.09 $155.97 Grand Rapids, MI 185,437 2000 $122.70 $205.20 Syracuse, NY 147,306 2001 $65.04 $130.05 Charlotte, NC 540,828 2001 $100.80 $185.70 Greensboro, NC 223,891 2001 $83.94 $174.75 Akron, OH 215,712 2000 $157.05 $300.36 Cincinnati, OH 336,400 2000 $115.59 $219.27 Cleveland, OH 495,817 2000 $102.00 $212.34 Columbus, OH 632,945 2000 $100.50 $183.30 Toledo, OH 312,174 2000 $72.60 $137.70 SOURCE: Black & Veatch Corporation, 2000 and 2001. TABLE 6-8 Comparison of Range of Quarterly Residential Water and Wastewater Bills for Pittsburgh and in 49 Largest Cities in United States Usage of 3,000 cf Usage of 6,000 cf Rank or Percentile City, State Bill City, State Bill Highest Seattle, WA $241.59 Seattle, WA $500.91 90th San Francisco, CA $174.96 Atlanta, GA $337.80 75th Honolulu, HI $138.57 San Diego, CA $250.47 50th New York City, NY $111.90 Oakland, CA $203.04 25th St.
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From page 248... ...
248 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania x Current water, stormwater, and wastewater services repayment capacity exists, but is unevenly distributed across communities and may be limited by affordability. Revenue sharing may be essential to achieve progress across the region.
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From page 249... ...
Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 249 criteria can be considered for wastewater systems in the region. The committee recommends the following actions toward a framework for a new regional financial approach: x Develop and implement a sewer and/or water user surcharge, as recently proposed in Maryland, to fund the next five years of planning and data gathering under CWARP or a similar program.
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From page 250... ...
250 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania Some problems, particularly those related to long-distance transport of potentially pathogenic microorganisms, heavy metals, and persistent toxic chemicals, transcend regional and state boundaries. Basinwide planning is needed to address these issues.
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From page 251... ...
Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 251 All five options are viable, and discussions of Option A between Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh have already occurred. It is recommended that Allegheny County take a leadership role in search of a consensus on one of the four remaining options.
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From page 252... ...
252 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania support of that process should not be interpreted as a strategy for indefinite postponement of major investment decisions. As long as the region is making good- faith efforts, as each step of the process is completed the region can make cost-effective decisions based on evaluation of the outcomes of prior actions.
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From page 253... ...
Water Quality Improvement: Institutional and Financial Solutions 253 Herman, S
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From page 254... ...
254 Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania Yaro, R
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